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A Timeline History of Robotics

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Event
Year
1 The first industrial arm robot - the Unimate - is introduced. 1961
2 Takeo Kanade builds the direct drive arm. It is the first to have 1981
motors installed directly into the joints of the arm.
This change makes it faster and more accurate than previous robotic
arms.
3 The Pathfinder Mission lands on Mars. 1997
4 The Greek inventor and physicist Ctesibus ('ti sib ee uhs') of 200 B.C.
Alexandria designs water clocks that have movable figures on
them.
5 SONY releases the AIBO ERS-7 its 3rd generation robotic pet.
6 LEGO releases the MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System 2.0
7 Dante an 8-legged walking robot developed at Carnegie Mellon
University descends into Mt. Erebrus, Antarctica.
8 Star Wars is released. George Lucas' movie about a universe
governed by the force introduces watchers to R2-D2 and C-3PO.
The movie creates the strongest image of a human future with
robots since the 1960's and inspires a generation of researchers.
9 An artificial intelligence program named ELIZA is created at MIT
by Joseph Weizenbaum. ELIZA functions as a computer
psychologist that manipulates its users statements to form
questions.
10 George Devol patents a playback device for controlling machines.
11 Stanley Kubrick makes Arthur C. Clark's, 2001: A Space Odyssey
into a movie. It features HAL, an onboard computer that decides it
doesn't need its human counterparts any longer.
12 Nikola Tesla builds and demonstrates a remote controlled robot
boat at Madison Square Garden.